


Better Days

by Evil_Jacquie



Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-16
Updated: 2011-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-14 19:58:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/152900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Jacquie/pseuds/Evil_Jacquie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris needs to talk to Buck about something that he's changed his mind about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Days

A Man Has His Reasons

Buck stumbled into his room as quietly as he could. Mrs. Willis had fussed at him just this morning about waking up the other patrons of her boarding house with his clattering, and singing. None of that tonight, Buck wanted it nice and quiet, positively peaceful. He sat down and toed off his boots first thing, just to be sure he didn’t stomp around too loudly. As he lit the lantern he smiled at the picture on the little table beside his bed.

“Evening, Momma. You sure do look pretty tonight.” Buck brushed his fingertips over the faded sepia toned photograph of his beloved mother. “Pretty as a picture.” It had been the same phrase he’d used to greet her every evening when she came to tuck him in before she went to work. Even after he’d grown up enough to understand what it was his mother did, and to wish they could live differently, he’d always told her how pretty she was.

That had been almost the only thing he could do for her in the end. Take the frail, fevered hand and whisper to her that she was still his best girl, still pretty as a picture to him. The knife wound in her belly had taken her far too soon, before Buck was grown up enough to take care of her as he’d wanted. Before he’d become a man, and could get her out of that kind of work, and give her a home of her own again.

Buck didn’t think too much about that now, not anymore. He knew it was a part of who he was, the way he treated all women, as if they were all beauties. It was a way to honor his Momma, a way to remember her every day. He’d give all that love he had for her to all of them since he could no longer offer it to her.

Buck went to his closet and hung his hat on the hook there, before unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He checked the water by the washstand and found it was still warm, a nice treat from the appreciative Miss Mary Willis, his landlady‘s daughter. A little scrub up would be appreciated now and later. He had some serious plans for later.

Buck striped down and poured half the warm water into his wash basin, he soaped up one of the small towels Miss Mary had left for him and proceeded to lather his chest and arms up. As he washed lower he pondered a shave. Sometimes his company liked him smooth cheeked, it depended on the mood. Buck smiled, he’d let his guest decide, later. As he finished drying himself off, he picked up his pocket watch and checked the time. He was good, still early enough that he didn’t have to rush. Buck pulled a clean pair of long johns on an left a few buttons undone. Buck knew how to set the mood to get just the effect he wanted. He looked around the room, and walked to his bed. A turned down blanket would make it seem more inviting.

Just as he’d finished plumping up the pillows there were footsteps out in the hall. Perfect timing, Buck told himself. He strode over to the door and swung it open confident that he knew just who was standing in the hallway.

 

He was wrong.

“Chris?” Buck stepped back in surprise, “what’re you doing here?”

“Come to talk to you, Buck,” Chris pushed in past him. “Don’t guess you mind if I come in, do you?”

“Um, no,” Buck hesitated and cast a quick glance out into the hallway, “I got a few minutes I reckon.”

“Oh you got more than that,” Chris assured him and he reached past Buck to grab the door and closed it.

Buck moved carefully around Chris and reached for a clean shirt hanging in his closet. He couldn’t quite figure what Chris’s mood was, but being dressed would undoubtedly be a better.

“You gone shy all of a sudden?” Chris sneered at him, “you never been in a hurry to get your clothes on before.”

“What the hell’s got into you, Chris?” Buck asked as he tried to get his shirt on, somehow he kept getting tangled up with the sleeves.

Chris stepped closer, “You been corrupting Vin?” His voice was a sharp hiss of steel that seemed to burn the air around them.

“What?” Buck shook his head, “I didn’t start nothing with Vin. He crawled into my bedroll one night when we was out on the trail and it was colder than a witch’s tit.” Buck glared at Chris, “You remember how that can be? Same thing happened with you and me a time or three, back in the day.”

Chris met Buck’s glare, and stared him down, “Not for years. Not since Sarah.”

“I still don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Buck had to look away from all that anger or was it hate, whatever it was he didn’t really understand why Chris felt that way. Those days had been sweet, at least for Buck.

“You don’t see much past the nose on your face,” Chris told him, still sounding madder than a wet hen. “You don’t see much past the next fuck, whoever it is.”

“You think I’m hurting Vin? Chris I wouldn’t do nothing to hurt that boy,” Buck started and then thought about what he was saying, “Hell, Vin’s man enough to know what he wants and take care of getting it.”

Chris spoke through clenched teeth, “I ain’t talking just about Vin.”

Buck gave up on putting his shirt on and threw it over the chair in the corner of the room. He spread his arms out as he turned to Chris and said, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Chris, tell me plain and simple.”

Chris stepped forward until his chest pressed against Buck’s, “I don’t want you fucking Vin.”

“You want Vin for yourself?” Buck had seen that Vin and Chris got along real well from the start, but he hadn’t thought Chris would want another man, not now. He felt an ache inside and rubbed at his chest unconsciously. “Does Vin know?”

“I don’t … that ain‘t,” Chris sputtered and started again, “that’s not what I said!”

“You said you don’t want me to fuck Vin,” Buck repeated what he’d heard, “so, what am I supposed to think? A man don’t go telling another man who he can fuck unless he’s talking about kin or something.”

“Or something, Buck,” Chris pressed as close as he could, “Something we used to have.” His tone was softer and his eyes looked darker as he stared into Buck’s.

Suddenly dry mouthed, Buck could only stare back for a moment.

“Me.” Buck barely whispered the word.

“Yeah,” Chris nodded, “Well?”

Buck licked his lips, “Yeah, of course, yeah, but Chris, Vin’s coming up here any minute and I don’t feel right just telling him to go away or something. I mean we’re friends, you know.”

Chris smiled and leaned hard against Buck’s broad chest, “Vin ain’t coming.”

“He ain’t?”

“Nope.”

“Why ain’t he?” Buck found himself lowering his head, just the slightest bit. His vision blurs as he got too close to focus on Chris’s face anymore, and he felt the warmth of Chris’s breath as he answered with a question of his own.

“Does it really matter to you?”

Buck paused, so close he could feel the rasp of stubble on his chin when he dipped his head and then drew back.

“Yeah, it does matter. I ain’t treating Vin like that. Not even for you.”

Chris’s smile grew broader, “I talked to him. When I found out what was going on, I had to.”

“What did you tell him?” Buck wasn’t too sure he liked the idea.

“Told him that you and me were more once than we are now,” Chris admitted, “told him I wanted to have a chance for that, again.”

Buck swallowed, “You said that wasn’t never going to happen again.”

“I did,” Chris agreed, “I was wrong.”

Buck felt his world rocked. He stood staring at Chris and wondered if this might be a dream. “Am I awake?” He whispered to himself, but Chris was close enough to hear him.

“No, this isn’t a dream, and it ain’t gonna seem like one,” Chris told him. “You know I’m not an easy man to get along with.”

“Ain’t that just the plain truth,” Buck chuckled.

Chris walked towards him until they were close enough to kiss, “You think you might want to give it a try?”

“Like we was before?” Buck asked.

“No, not like that,” Chris told him, as he finally reached out and touched Buck, pushing aside the few buttons that held the top of his union suit closed. He slipped his hand inside the faded flannel and stroked the warm flesh within. “Better.”

“Better, how?” Buck asked, although his eyes were already half closed, and he was leaning back down for a kiss.

“Just better,” Chris’s words whispered across Buck’s lips just before they kissed.

A long moment of silence, followed by a moan and then Buck spoke as he let Chris push him towards his bed.

“I like better.”


End file.
